Two months after senior citizen’s death, chain snatcher held in Thane

A senior citizen died in January this year when she fell from a moving auto rickshaw after a pillion rider snatched her gold mangalsutra.

His family members have also been previously been arrested in chain-snatching and theft cases(Representational photo)

A senior citizen died in January this year when she fell from a moving auto rickshaw after a pillion rider snatched her gold mangalsutra.

The Thane crime branch on Wednesday arrested the chain-snatcher from Bhiwandi. The accused has been identified as Hujju Yaser Irani, 24. Irani, a Bhiwandi resident, is a history sheeter.

His family members have also been previously been arrested in chain-snatching and theft cases. His father has been in Coimbatore jail for over the past one year, his brother has been in Thane jail for a few months, and his mother was released from kalyan jail on bail last year.

The victim, Kanchan Kudalkar, 65, was travelling by auto at Vakola signal in Santacruz on January 16 when the incident occurred. “Kudalkar suffered grievous injuries. The rickshaw driver and the two bike-borne accused fled from the spot. Vakola police registered a case under relevant sections against an unidentified person,” said a police officer from Thane crime branch. Kudalkar was rush to a private hospital in Thane. She succumbed to her injuries on January 29,” the police office added.

Senior police inspector from Thane crime branch, Nitin Thakare, said, “on Tuesday, we came to know that a chain-snatcher had come to Bhiwandi to meet his relatives. We lay a trap and caught Irani on Wednesday. Irani was wanted in many cases, of which 23 are chain snatching cases.”

Irani began snatching chains and committing thievery at the age of 17 in Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, said the police. A police officer from Thane commissionerate said, “All his family members are history-sheeters. Irani was produced in court and remanded in custody.”